1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a baby carriage with foldable side walls extending upwardly and along opposite edges of the seat section of the baby carriage. The seat section is held between the foldable side walls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over the years the construction of baby carriages has changed. Attention paid to the construction of baby carriage seat sections show that initially so-called box types were common. More recently, baby carriages with chair type seat sections have become popular. The reason for switching from a box type to the chair type, is the desire for reducing the weight of the baby carriage and making it foldable to be more compact in the folded state.
Although the chair type baby carriage is convenient for use, the space allotted to its seat section is limited. As a result, the seat section is reduced in size, compared to the box type, to the extent that it has been difficult to set or lay a baby in an easy or comfortable state.
3. Description of the Above Mentioned Related Application
Thus, considered from the standpoint of a baby, it cannot be denied that it is preferable for a baby carriage to have a box-type seat section or a large seat section equivalent to a box-type seat section. FIGS. 24 and 25 show a baby carriage frame structure as disclosed in the above mentioned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 891,759. Such a frame structure allows an advantageous attachment of a relatively large seat section and it can be compactly folded. The baby carriage shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 has not been publicly known yet, but is only described in the above mentioned copending application corresponding to Japanese Patent Application No. 170416/1985, "Baby Carriage" (filed in Japan on July 31, 1985).
In FIG. 24 showing the baby carriage in the opened state, the numeral 1 denotes a pair of front legs and 2 denotes a pair of rear legs. Each lower end of the front legs 1 has a front wheel 3, diagrammatically shown, rotatably attached thereto, while each lower end of the rear legs 2 has a rear wheel 4 attached thereto. A seat section (not shown) is positioned so that it extends between the front and rear legs 1 and 2. The seat section may further extend forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear legs 1 and 2. Lateral frames 5 are positioned on opposite sides of the seat section. Each lateral frame 5 extends between the front and rear legs 1 and 2 on the same side.
The lateral frame 5, as shown in FIG. 25, is foldable in a lateral plane of the baby carriage. Therefore, when the lateral frames 5 assume the extended state, the front and rear legs 1 and 2 are spaced from each other to establish the opened state of the baby carriage shown in FIG. 24. On the other hand, when the lateral frames 5 assume the folded state, the front and rear legs 1 and 2 move toward each other to establish the closed state of the baby carriage shown in FIG. 25.
In FIGS. 24 and 25, each lateral frame 5 is formed of two foldable lateral rod members 6 and 7. The lateral rod members 6 and 7 are turnably connected at their opposite ends to the front and rear legs 1 and 2 on the same side. Further, the lateral rod members 6 and 7 are disposed side by side and one above the other.
A push rod 8 for pushing the baby carriage may be a separate member adapted to be mechanically fixed to the rear leg or may be integrally formed.
When the seat section is installed to extend from the front leg 1 to the rear leg 2 as in the case of the baby carriage shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, it is preferable to provide a lateral seat section wall 9, as shown in phantom lines, two such lateral walls being positioned on opposite sides of the seat section to extend upwardly with said seat section held therebetween. Such a lateral wall 9 is preferable from the standpoint of design as it hides relatively unsightly areas of the frame structure, and if the lateral wall is formed of a plastic molding, it will impart an agreeable aesthetic look to the entire baby carriage.
To allow the folding movement of the baby carriage, the lateral wall 9 is divided into first and second lateral plates 10 and 11 which are contiguous with each other to extend longitudinally of the baby carriage in the unfolded state. And they are attached, e.g., to the lower lateral rod 7 so that they may be displaced following the folding movement of the baby carriage.
However, when the first and second lateral plates 10 and 11 are attached to the lower lateral rod member 7, as described above, the lateral plates 10 and 11 will project longitudinally of the baby carriage to a relatively large extent, as shown in FIG. 25 by dash-dotted lines. This feature does not agree with the effort of making the baby carriage compact in the folded state. In addition, if the lateral plates 10 and 11 were attached to the upper lateral rods 6 and 5 respectively, they are likely to interfere with the folding movement of the baby carriage, thereby possibly making the folding movement of the baby carriage impossible.